More bizarre casual racism

[Smapti]

As if last week's encounter with a juvenile idiot wasn't enough, I had an encounter at the store today that was just plain weird. As I'm working the floor, an older white guy comes up to me and asks me if I know where the Contadina sweet & sour sauce is because he can't find it anywhere in the Asian foods section. For some reason, the Powers That Be decided that that one brand of s&s should go on a different aisle next to the BBQ sauce and marinades, and I tell him so. He says he looked there too and couldn't find it, so I offer to walk him over and show him where it is, which I do, and proceed to hand him some.

That's when we have this exchange;

C: How much do those cost?
Me: (checks the label) $1.59 each.
C: That's a really good deal. You know what they charge for these at (Competitor)?
Me: How much?
C: Almost five bucks! It's crazy. And the only people that even buy it there are the Asians because they have no sense of how to spend money.
Me: ...Well, you have a good day, sir.

It just came right out of left field and I was so surprised by it that I couldn't even think for a second or stammer out a "Well I don't know about that". I just sort of politely excused myself and walked away as fast as I could lest he continue on in that vein. I've never even heard that stereotype before. I don't know what it is about these times that some people think that they can just casually make that kind of remark to someone just because they happen to be the same color as themselves.

[wordgirl]

Yeah, and he's almost certainly wrong, too.

I very much doubt that any self-respecting Asian person is going to be buying Contadina brand Sweet and Sour sauce, given that Contadina is an Italian-themed line and their version of S-n-S is likely to just likely to be sugary glop with some vague hint of citric acid in there.

EDIT: Oh. Turns out that, at least according to Contadina, Sweet and Sour sauce is actually also an Italian thing. I tend to think there's a little adver-fabulism going on there, but hey, maybe they're truthin'.

In fact, I agree with your store's decision to stock the non-Asian brands separately in the regular sauce aisle; most grocery stores around here do separate out the real Asian/Latino brands (Goya/Badia/Thai Kitchen/Ka-Me) in the ethnic food section, and the regular Kraft/Hunts/KC Masterpiece flavors "inspired by" ethnic cuisine with the marinades/sauces/ketchups etc. It might be a little confusing to some customers, but they are aiming at markets that probably don't have a lot of overlap. (I have learned, however, to head to the Latino section for excellent deals on spices that I don't mind buying dried in a jar or bag. Badia's spice line is just as good as McCormick's for less than half the price.)

[Smapti]

In fact, I agree with your store's decision to stock the non-Asian brands separately in the regular sauce aisle; most grocery stores around here do separate out the real Asian/Latino brands (Goya/Badia/Thai Kitchen/Ka-Me) in the ethnic food section, and the regular Kraft/Hunts/KC Masterpiece flavors "inspired by" ethnic cuisine with the marinades/sauces/ketchups etc.

The weird part is that the Kraft S&S is in the Asian foods section.

[MoonCat]

I could speculate on what particular current phenomenon is currently causing a lot of people to spout whatever racist garbage goes through their minds, but it belongs in fratching.

Besides, it isn't even really that new of a thing. I can remember conversations with customers back when I was still new at my job - over 35 years ago - and people would casually ask me how they could get around federal anti-discrimination laws to word their apartment-for-rent ads to "keep out those people." And sometimes they were pretty upfront about who "those people" were. They just assumed that since I apparently "sound white" I would not take offense (for the record, I'm whiter than Casper the ghost, but I try hard not to be a racist idiot).

I've also had people casually use expressions like "jew me down on the price" - although it's been years since I've heard that one.

[Nunavut Pants]

I could speculate on what particular current phenomenon is currently causing a lot of people to spout whatever racist garbage goes through their minds, but it belongs in fratching.

Objection! Assumes that they actually have minds, which has yet to be proven! (And is vanishingly unlikely!)

[Aria]

... *blinkblink* That's the exact demographic that's notorious in my work circles as... thrifty. Did he get things reversed lol?

[Food Lady]

... *blinkblink* That's the exact demographic that's notorious in my work circles as... thrifty. Did he get things reversed lol?

That's what I was thinking. He's just makin' stuff up. What a weirdo.